Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-03-03
CHAPTER V.

The speed and fury with which Clinch's
cavalcade swept on in the direction of the
mysterious shot left Hale no chance for re-
Fiction He was conscious of shouting in
coherently with the others, of urging his
horse iIresistibly forward, of momentarily
expecting to meet or overtake something, but
without any further thought. The figures Of
Clinch and Rawlins Immediately before him
shut out the prospect of the narrowing trail.
Once only, taking advantage of a sudden halt
that threw them confusedly together, he
managed to ask question.
"Lost their track-found it againlp shouted
the ostler, as Clinch, with cry like the bay
ing of hound, again darted forward Their
horses were painting and trembling under
them, the ascent seemed to be growing
sleeper, singular darkness, which even the
density of the wood did not sufficiently ac-
count for, surrounded them, but still their
leader madly urged them ON. To Hale's re-
turning senses they did not seem in a condi-
ton to engage a single resoiute man, who
might have ambushed in the woods or beaten
them in detail in the narrow gorge, but in
another instant the reason Of their furious
haste was manifest. Squirting his horse
ahead, Clinch dashed out into the open with
a cheering shout-a shout that as quickly
changed to yell of irnprecation. They were
on the Ridge in binding snowstorml The
road had already vanished under their feet
and with it the fresh trail they had so closely
followed They stood helplessly on the shore
of trackless white sea, blank and spotless Of
any trace or sign of the fugitives.
a'Pears to me, boys" said the ostler, sud-
denly ranging before them, "ef you're not
kalkilatin' on gittin' another party to dig ye
out, ye'd better be huntin' fodder and cover
instead of road agents. 'Skuse me, gentle
men, but I'm responsible for the bosses, and
this amt no time for circus ridin'. Wore q
matter o six miles from the station in bee
line"
"Back to the trail, them" said Clinch,
wheeling his horse toward the road they had
just quilted.
"'Skuse me, Kernel" said the ostler, laying
bis hand on Clinch's rein, "but that way only
road-three miles further from home. That
three miles is on the divide and by the time
we get there it viii be showed up worse nor
this. The shortest cut is along the Ridge. II
we hump ourselves we ken cross the divide
afore the road is blocked. And that, 'skuse
me, gentlemen, is my road"
There was no timo for discussion. The
road was already palpably thickening under
their feet. Hale's arm was stiffened to his
side by wet, clinging snow wreath The
figures of the others were almost oblterated
and shapeless. 1t was not snowing-it was
snowballingi The huge fakes, shaken like
enormous feathers out Of vast blue black
cloud, commingled and fell in sprays and
patches. All idea OF their former pursuit
was forgotten; the blind rage and enthusi-
asm that had possessed them was gone
They dashed after their new leader with only
an instinct for shelter and succor.
They had not ridden long when for
tunately, as it seemed to Hale, tho character
of the storm changed. The snow no longer
fell in such large flakes, nor as heavily. A
bitter wind succeeded; the soft snow began
to stiffen and crackle under the horses hoofs;
they were no longer weighted and encum-
bered by the drifts upon their bodies; the
smaller flakes now rustled and rasped against
them like sand, or bounded from them like
hail. They seemed to be moving moro easily
and rapidly, their spirits were rising with
the stimulus Of cold and motion. when sud
denly their leader halted.
ats no use, boys. Il can't be donel This
is no blizzard, but irregular two days snifteri
It's no longer meltin', but packin' and drift
in now. Even if we get over the divide,
we're sure to be blocked up in the pass
It was truei To their bitter disappointment
they could now see that the snow had not
really diminished in quantity, bat that the
now finely powdered particles were rapidly
filing all inequalities of the surface, packing
in long burrows across the levels. They
looked with anxiety at their self-constituted
leader.
ave must make break to get down II
the woods again before it's too late" he said
briefly
But they had already drifted away from
the fringe of larches and dwarf pines thai
marked the sides Of the Ridge, and lowel
down merged into the dense forest that ciothet
. tlt5 flank Of tte frc1ntztu they had fatsf,